The Dude With The Food

Brendall Masambo (24) is a young culinary genius with the ability to turn basic ingredients into delicious meals that dissolve all your worries and stress. He has been a chef since 2015 and has competed in numerous cooking competitions both nationally and internationally.

recently had the opportunity to chop it up with the young chef who shares his recipe for success, as well as his plans for the future.

Cooking has always been one of his hobbies, ever since he was young, and he is grateful his family supported him in pursuing cooking as a career.

He has competed twice in the national junior chefs competitions, in 2015 and 2016 respectively. He also took part in the senior chefs competition in 2017. “I was second in the senior chefs competition and won a silver medal. I do not necessarily have secret ingredients, I am open to learning and experimenting.”

“Besides the national cooking competitions, I was also privileged to be among the group of young chefs from Namibia who participated in the Alen Thong Young Chefs Golden Coffee Pot Challenge in Abu Dhabi in 2016,” said Masambo, who also represented Namibia at the African Culinary Cup in Mauritius in 2018.

Masambo, who works at The Stellenbosch Wine Bar and Restaurant, mentioned that taking part in cooking competitions has taught him so much about his craft and has made him a better chef.

He attributes his time management and teamwork skills to these competitions. “These competitions have made me realise how important it is to adhere to time when cooking. Everything has to be finished within a specific stipulated time, otherwise you won’t go far in a cooking competition. I apply these lessons in my personal life as well and it has honestly made me a better person,” he said.

Taking part in cooking competitions has also instilled a good work ethic in him, he says. He believes you can have all the talent in the world but the harsh reality is that if the talent doesn’t come with a good attitude and work ethic, then you will find life tough as a chef.

“A kitchen is a team environment, which means you have to put your all in. If you do not, you will never make the cut as the best chefs will always take a less knowledgeable cook with a good attitude and work ethic over a talented chef with a poor attitude,” he said.

Asked what his favourite meal to prepare is, Masambo said that he has quite a few and that is why he avoids preparing similar meals all the time, rather opting to challenge himself by preparing different meals every day.

He attended a technical high school – Pioneer Boys School – and always thought he was going to end up in a garage as a mechanic, as that was his major in school.

“I enrolled for a short basic cooking course at Namibia University of Science and Technology but even after completing that course, I still spend so much time watching cooking programmes and reading up on different recipes online because you never stop learning as a chef. Whether you are at the very start of your career or an accomplished chef, you should never be above learning from anyone. You can never stop learning and you can learn from everyone around you, from the kitchen assistant to the head chef.”

Masambo expressed disappointment in the culinary sector in Namibia, stating that chefs aren’t recognised and appreciated enough in Namibia.

He feels there aren’t enough cooking competitions in the country for chefs to showcase their skills. “Besides showcasing one’s cooking skills, competitions are important because they grow the industry. At the moment, Namibia does not have enough competitions to cater for many chefs nationally and that is holding us back,” he said.

Masambo’s mother Clementine shared that she is very proud of the path he has taken. She discovered that her son’s favourite part of the house was the kitchen when he was 14 and she decided to support him.

“As parents we sometimes have different dreams for our children. He studied motor mechanics so I presumed he was going to do something that has to do with cars. I was shocked when he confronted me about becoming a chef, but I said ‘if that is what you want to do, I cannot impede you’. I am a very proud mother.”

Masambo hopes to go to a culinary school abroad to expand his knowledge.

“My dream is to become a private chef one day and realising that dream means I still need to learn more about what I do. I want to keep making delicious food because there is a certain gratification I get from satisfying people,” he said.

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